Redemption
In this study the following are to be considered:
The word ‘redeem’ (and its derivatives, ‘redemption’ and ‘redeemer’) cannot be described by one but three Hebraic concepts: (i) to buy back; (ii) rescue and (iii) the payment.
(ia) To buy back
“In all the land of your possession you shall grant a redemption (גְּאֻלָּה geh-llar) for the land. If your brother becomes poor, and sells some of his possession, then his kinsman (גָּאַל gar-el) who is next to him shall come, and shall redeem (גָּאַל gar-el) that which his brother has sold.” (Lev. 25:24, 25).
גְּאֻלָּה #H1353 geh-llar *300b redeem, redemption from the root גָּאַל #H1350 gar-el *300 redeem, redeemer, kinsman: ~1058-D(V) to restore to the original condition or avenge a death.
All people were originally given an allocation of land for each family, “Yahuah told Moshe to give this order to the people of Yisra`el: ‘When you enter the land of Kena`an, it will become your land to pass on as an inheritance, the land of Kena`an as defined by these borders.’” (Num. 34:1, 2 CJB). If a family becomes so poor that it cannot sustain itself, their land may be sold to another. However, in order to preserve the land’s title for the original tribe, this was not to be a permanent transaction, “The land shall not be sold in perpetuity; for the land is mine: for you are strangers and live as foreigners with me.” (Lev. 25:23). The land could be brought back at anytime by the family, for a price according to the years left to the Yobel. “But if he is not able to get it back for himself, then that which he has sold shall remain in the hand of him who has bought it until the Yobel: and in the Yobel it shall go out, and he shall return to his possession. (Lev. 25:28).
It may be possible that even after the land is sold, there is an outstanding debt. The only way to discharge this debt would be for the man to indenture himself, by putting himself into service as a servant. “And if one of your brethren who dwells by you becomes poor, and sells himself to you, you shall not compel him to serve as a slave. As a hired servant and a sojourner, he shall be with you, and shall serve you until the Year of Yobel.” (Lev. 25:39, 40). “And you shall count seven shabbatot of years…on the Day of Atonement you shall make the shofar to sound… throughout all your land. And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Yovel for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his.” (Lev. 25:8-10). Furthermore, all debts will be cancelled at the Yobel (Jubilee Year). This is every fiftieth year. Every seventh year there was a Shabbat Year where the land was not worked. Like the weekly Shabbat, Mankind was to rely solely upon Yahuah. The Yobel was the year after the seventh Shabbat Year. This required the trusting and reliance upon Yahuah for a two-year period. Again, it is my belief that when the Messiah returns to this earth, at the sound of the shofar, it will be the declaration of coming of the Yobel and all debts will be cancelled thereafter.
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Jubilee 2) a year of emancipation or restoration – origin from Latin jubilaeus annus from the Hebrew word יוֹבֵל #H3104 yobel *835e ram’s horn that when blown ushered in the Yobel, probably from Phoenician for a ram (www.oxforddictionaries.com).
“Sha`ul, a bondservant of the Messiah Yahusha, called to be an apostle, separated to the Good News of Yahuah,” (Rom. 1:1). Sha`ul often refers to himself as a ‘servant’ #G1401 δοῦλος doo-los – slave of the Messiah or Yahuah. It is unfortunate that the term ‘slave’ has such a poor image in the West, that the beauty of this illustration is not fully understood. In the Eastern economy, there were two types of slaves. One that was captured or bought at a slave market, and the other was a bondsman. Both of these images are appropriate to Sha`uls’s situation.
It is common to talk of redemption as being that of the Messiah buying us back off haSatan at a slave market, known as the Commercial Theory. Yet, it was not haSatan that was wronged, but Yahuah and so any payment was due to Yahuah (Thiessen p.234 quoting Anselm).
However, the Tanakh view of a slave can also be that of a person who has run up such a high debt, that he is unable to pay it off. Rather than having everything, including his family, taken from him, he may elect to enter a period servitude or bond in order to pay off the debt. A third party may take up this bond and pay off the debt to the holder. The bondsman would then work for a period of time for the third person. It is my belief that this is what Sha`ul had in mind. He (and each and every one of us) owes a debt that he could not pay. Therefore, he sought out Someone who could pay. The Messiah accepted Sha`ul’s bond and the Messiah has paid in full the debt owed to haSatan for Sha`ul’s sin.
(ib) Redemption of the first-born male
“It shall be, when Yahuah shall bring you into the land of the Kana`ani… that you shall set apart to Yahuah all that opens the womb, and every firstborn which you have that comes from an animal. The males shall be Yahuah’s…and you shall redeem all the firstborn of man among your sons…It shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ that you shall tell him, ‘By strength of hand Yahuah brought us out from Mitzrayim, from the house of bondage…and it happened, when Par`oh would hardly let us go, that Yahuah killed all the firstborn in the land of Mitzrayim, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of animal. Therefore, I sacrifice to Yahuah all that opens the womb, being males; but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’” (Exod. 13:11-15).
“Everything that opens the womb, of all flesh which they offer to Yahuah, both of man and animal shall be yours: nevertheless, the firstborn of man shall you surely redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals shall you redeem. Those who are to be redeemed of them from a month old shall you redeem, according to your estimation, for the money of five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary (the same is twenty gerahs). But the firstborn of a cow, or the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat, you shall not redeem; they are set apart: you shall sprinkle their blood on the altar, and shall burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a sweet savour to Yahuah. The flesh of them shall be your, as the wave-breast and as the right thigh, it shall be yours.” (Num. 18:15-18). Every first-born
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male animal and child is designated Yahuah’s and as such would be culled out of the herds and flocks prior to the tithing operation. The clean animals were sacrificed to Yahuah and eaten by the priests in Yerushalayim.
פדיון הבן pidyon haben – the tradition of redeeming the first-born son according to Num. 18:16. However, this stems from the judgement Yahuah placed upon the Egyptians for not allowing the Yisra`elites to go out and serve Him, “You shall tell Par`oh, ‘Thus says Yahuah, Yisra`el is my son, my firstborn, and I have said to you, ‘Let my son go, that he may serve me;’ and you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn.’” (Exod. 4:22, 23).
“When the days of their purification according to the law of Moshe were fulfilled, they brought him up to Yerushalayim, to present him to Yahuah (as it is written in the law of Yahuah, ‘Every male who opens the womb shall be called set apart to Yahuah’).” (Luke 2:22, 23). The redemption of the first-born is of uttermost importance as every first-born Yisra`elitethat opens the womb is a type of the future redemption and salvation of spiritual Yisra`el (setapartpeople.com).
“Behold, there was a man in Yerushalayim whose name was Shim`on; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Yisra’el, and the Ruach HaQodesh was on him… ‘Now you are releasing your servant, Master, According to your word, in shalom. For my eyes have seen your yeshu`ah…’” (Luke 2:25, 29, 30).
#G3874 παράκλησις pa-rah-klay-sis consolation is from the same root as #G3875 παράκλητος pa-rah-klay-tos. Strong uses the KJV translation of this word as comforter. However, the 19th Century (and indeed the 20th and 21st Centuries) definition has come to mean someone or something that has a calming influence or removes anxiety. This was not the intention of the word.
Late Middle English: form Old French comforteor, form conforter ‘to comfort’, form late Latin confortare ‘strenghten’, from com– (expressing intensive force) + Latin fortis ‘strong’.
(ii) Rescue
As previously mentioned, Sha`ul, with his great in-depth knowledge of Scripture knew that he could not save himself, “What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me out of the body of this death?” (Rom. 7:24). He also knew that if he, an upholder of the Law, was powerless, then Who then could rescue him?
(iii) Payment
Although Adam and Chavah made an attempt to cover their nakedness (sin) they knew it was not sufficient. “Yahuah `Elohiym made coats of skins for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.” (Gen. 3:21). It took Yahuah to provide a temporary covering #H3722 כָּפַר ka-fare *1023 to make atonement or reconcile (also from this root *1023a koper ransom) – usually translated ‘atonement’. The death of an animal provided this temporary covering and was acceptable to Yahuah in that Yahuah knew that Adam and Chavah understood their need of a permanent atonement. In eating the prohibited fruit (Gen. 2:17), all knowledge was imparted to the couple including both what which constituted sin, its
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consequences and what was needed to return to Yahuah. In Biblical studies, The Law of First Mention gives added importance to words or topics when it first appears in the Bible. This is the first time covering or atonement is mentioned and is significant in the revelation of redemption.
“The next day Yochanan saw Yahusha coming toward Him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of Yahuah who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29). Yochanan HaMatbil (the Immerser, the Baptist) had waited all his life to see the Redeemer of all Creation and was in no doubt when he saw the Master coming towards him. Had he known before this time that his cousin Yahusha was the long-awaited for Messiah, “When the men had come to Him, they said, ‘Yochanan HaMatbil has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’” (Luke 7:20), or was it revealed at this exact moment, “It happened, when Elisheva heard Miryam’s greeting, that the baby leaped in her womb, and Elisheva was filled with the Ruach HaQodesh.” (Luke 1:41)? I understand this to mean that Yochanan knew that his cousin, Yahusha, was a very special Man of Yahuah, but all the people were looking for a Warrior-King to come as the Messiah. He may have understood the concept of the two Messiah’s (Mashiach ben Yosef and Mashiach ben Dawid) and realised that Yahusha could well be Mashiach ben Yosef and so would look to another Messiah coming as Mashiach ben Dawid. Similarly, many people may look for some kind of salvation in other religions, ideologies or philosophies, not realising that it is only through the Messiah Yahusha that salvation can be found, “For `Eloakh did not appoint us to wrath, but to the obtaining of salvation through our Master Yahusha the Messiah,” (1 Thess. 5:9).
In their newly gained knowledge Adam and Chavah could look upon the Lamb yet to be born in the flesh and His sacrificial death for all Mankind. It was in faith that the couple accepted the Messiah’s atonement symbolised by the animal skins Yahuah gave them. It is my belief that this was taught to all the subsequent generations until a more substantial but nonetheless temporary system of sacrifices was given to Moshe at Mount Sinai.
“But of him, you are in the Yahusha, who was made to us wisdom from Yahuah, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption:” (1 Cor. 1:30). In his first letter to the Messianic Community at Corinth, Sha`ul describes all that Yahuah had done for them. Through his letter to the Ephesian Community, Sha`ul tells us “in whom we have our redemption through His (the Messiah’s) blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace,” (Eph. 1:7). ‘Redemption’ – #G629 ἀπολύτρωσιςa-po-loo-tro-sis – ransom. A ransom is the price paid by one person for the release of another from captivity when that person has been unlawfully taken or kidnapped.
“and they may recover themselves out of the devil’s snare, having been taken captive by it to its will.” (2 Tim. 2:26). Sha`ul explains to his ‘adoptive son’ in ministry, Timothy, that the snare of the devil – sin – causes all mankind to be taken captive by haSatan. It does not want any to be set free. However, there is a price that is put upon each and every one of us.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of Yahuah is eternal life in Messiah Yahusha our Master.” (Rom. 6:23). ‘Wages’ – #G3800 ὀψώνιον op-so-nee-on – a soldier’s pay or allowance. This is the payment that a soldier is due. Likewise, haSatan is due this payment or ransom for Mankind falling for its trap. The Enemy of Souls has ‘worked’ in trapping Mankind and demands payment. Yahuah does not demand repayment; indeed there can be no way to repay the debt. “Therefore, as sin entered into the world through one man, and
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death through sin; and so death passed to all men, because all sinned.” (Rom. 5:12). “For this reason, He (the Messiah) is the mediator…, since a death has occurred for the redemption of the transgressions…” (Heb. 9:15a). A price had to be paid to haSatan, and that price had to be a death. The Messiah’s perfect, sinless life and death paid the ransom for all who accept it.
Yahuah bless you and keep you,
Yahuah make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you,
Yahuah lift up His face toward you and give you peace.
All glory be to Yahuah,
Ameyn.
References and Credits
In using these references, it is in no way agreeing to or condoning the theological viewpoint of the authors.
Benner J.A. (2007) Ancient Hebrew Dictionary, virtualbookworm.com, College Station,
TX.
Benner J.A. (2005) Ancient Hebrew Lexicon, virtualbookworm.com, College Station TX
(denoted by ~).
Kittel G. & Theological Dictionary of New Testament, translated by Bromiley,
Friedman F. (1988) Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Stern D.H. (1998) Complete Jewish Bible, Jewish New Testament Publications,
(CJB) Clarksville, Maryland.
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First Generation Assembly 